When I first heard of Malcom X’s ideas, I thought of him as a fanatic and an extremist. Malcom represented the icon of black racism against white community- or so I thought. The movie “Malcolm X”, however, in which Denzel Washington brilliantly interprets Malcolm X’s life story allowed me to completely change my mind.
The only reason why Malcolm’s ideas are misrepresented is because only some of his hateful words against the white community from the past are taken out of context. The public ought to know that Malcolm X’s life took a total different turn during his pilgrimage to the Mecca. The pilgrimage to the Mecca allowed him to envision the beauty of interracial unity within a religious community.
The more I think about the man’s life story, the more I do realize that he did the right thing. His fight within the African American community is as valuable as Dr Martin Luther King’s, and internationally, as Marcus Garvey’s.
Too many African Americans seem to forget where they come from. If you want to be a balanced individual, you cannot forget about your roots. Too many African Americans have claimed, through the centuries, to be Americans, totally forgetting about being the original inhabitants of the African soil.
All of you who act this way are wrong: know who you are, make some research about your culture and history and realize that, before claiming to be Americans, you need to be proud to be Afro– Americans.
Malcolm taught African American folks about history. He underlined 400 years of horrible slavery from white folks.
How could I not understand his resentment towards a majority of white folks, who taught his folks to be ashamed of their color? Malcolm gave his folks a new sense of pride. He also faught for the truth: this goes as far as restituting Jesus into his original context. Yes, he got the right to: any honest person would recognize that knowing where the historical Jesus grew up, people are more likely to have a dark skin color. I’d say there are 99% for Jesus not to have been a white person- if you keep a real sense of objectivity.
I have always taught my kids to be proud of their origins. As a white mom of two wonderful bi racial boys, Malcolm X’ story truly represents a symbol of pride and dignity.
Yes, he used to be a black nationalist. He wanted his folks to stay focused and to be proud of themselves. I think there is a bit of Malcolm in each of us. From pimp to an incessant quest of spirituality, Malcolm eventually found the light.
Copyright by Isabelle Esling
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